Can History Be Wiped?
by the missing x
Summary: "We have a history..." Zatanna couldn't believe it. She had been used. In the vilest way she could have thought of. She had been used to fake her best friend's death... for the greater good, what a load of crap. What was worse was she had been used by the only man she ever loved... Two-Shot.
1. Chapter 1

Can History Be Wiped?

* * *

_"We have a history…"_

* * *

Zatanna couldn't believe it. She had been used. In the vilest way she could have thought of. She had been used to fake her _best friend's _death; her natural abilities had been abused for _the greater good_, what a load of crap. What was worst was she was used by the only man she had ever loved.

She was pretty sure the feeling was becoming past tense, but every time she distanced herself; he would always draw her back in. Every time she tried to get over him, she would find a reason to love him even more than before. Why was it so hard to move on? Why was it hard to forget the smart mouth that could contest with every quip she sent out, the eyes that searched her soul and could read her like an open book, the hair she loved so dearly, even when he decided to get a mullet, the courage she lacked that he had she admired so much, his kind soul that had been her shoulder to cry on countless times, and his unbelievably romantic and pure heart that once loved her?

Because she loved him.

Present tense, definitely present tense.

No mater how many times she tried, how much time she spent away from him, how many times she debated putting a spell on herself to get over him, how many nights she had spent crying for him, how many times he had broken her heart over and over, no matter how many times she went through hell to get back to Earth, she still loved him, but he didn't love her; not anymore at least.

He had proved that much by using her in the cruelest way possible.

He said the glamour charm was for an undercover operation he was busting in Bludhaven, and he would return it once he was finished with it, and every time she asked him 'how is the charm working?' he would reply easily, 'great, just like a charm should work, I owe you heaps Zee.'

He had even pulled out the nickname, she should have noticed, it should have been her first tip off. The second should have been the normalcy after Artemis' death, it was like he felt nothing, but she had put it down to throwing himself into work. The last and final tip off should have been when she had expressed her desire to go to the Summit and help the Team get the information they needed, as she had some unfinished business with the Witch Boy, he had told her no. He said it was 'strictly a Team mission' and that 'she could have the night off, she deserved it.' Lies, she had taken that night off, only to come into the Watch Tower the next morning to find Artemis greeting everyone as if she had never died.

And that's when she discovered the truth, the cold hard truth that her charm hadn't been used for an undercover mission by him, it had been used to help garb her best friend, disguising her while the rest of the world thought she was dead.

* * *

_"Wh-what?" She stammered out walking closer to her dead-not-dead best friend slowly and apprehensively._

_"Zatanna, it's me." Artemis said in reply, with a dazzling smile on her face and Wally by her side, as he had refused to leave it._

_"B-but how? I mean you died! Oh my god you died, I'm hallucinating. This is just a dream, and I'm going to wake up and you'll be dead again." She mumbled, stumbling away from Artemis. Away from the lies, away from the hallucination, away from insanity._

_"Zee, you aren't dreaming, I promise I'm real, I'm alive, this isn't a hallucination." Artemis consoled, taking slow steps towards the shaking magician._

_"Artemis." Zatanna breathed out, looking at the imposter- no, not imposter- her best friend. Over come with joy she flung herself at the blonde and crushed her in a hug with strength she didn't know she had. _

_And the blonde hugged back, smiling in joy and tears flowing down her cheeks. _

_"How?" Zatanna asked, pulling back and holding the archer at arm's length._

_"It's a long story," Artemis smiled crookedly, "Why don't we go to the cafeteria and get something to eat?" she suggested noticing how hungry she was._

_"Sure," Zatanna replied, "but you have to tell me everything, don't miss anything out." _

_"Ok," Artemis wavered, knowing what the knowledge may do to her friend, "Wally," _

_"Yes, beautiful?" Wally said charmingly, playing role of dotting boyfriend. _

_"Can you give me and Zatanna some time, we'll be back in an hour tops, I just want to catch up with my best friend." Artemis said, giving Wally a quick kiss._

_"Sure babe, I'll hang out with 'Wing, see if he's doing anything important." He replied easily, speeding off to find his best friend._

_"So shall we head down?" Zatanna said, feeling a bit sad that she didn't have anyone to share cute moments with. _

_"Let's go, I'm starving." Artemis said, as they fell into a comfortable silence, two comrades facing the Earth._

* * *

_It hadn't taken long for Artemis to be pressured into spilling everything about the undercover mission she and Aqualad had been on, she felt like she needed to vent, to someone other than Wally. It felt good, to get all the hated feelings off her chest and into the air, where they would disappear. But Zatanna found herself becoming more agitated, hurt, confused, angry and vulnerable by the word._

_The months she spent mourning over her best friends death had been for nothing, the countless times she had zetaed to Gotham just to put fresh flowers on her grave meant nothing, the amount of times she cried herself to sleep because she thought her best friend was dead was all for nothing. If everything she had done in the past moths after her friends 'death' meant nothing, then what did she do that she could say was something?_

_Almost too afraid to ask she got the words out after a pregnant pause between the two adults, _

_"How were you disguised?" She asked timidly, "I-I mean, how did they fake your death and then hide you in Black Manta's ship?" _

_Artemis knew she would have to tell her sooner or later, no matter how long she wanted to delay the inevitable heart break her best friend would feel, the feeling of her heart being pulled out of her chest and stitched back in, then ripped out again, no matter how much she didn't want to tell her she had to._

_"Nightwing set the whole thing up." She said quietly, looking down at her cup of coffee, "I 'died' and then wore a glamour charm for my Tigeress disguise. Only four people knew at first, Myself, Nightwing, Wally and Aqualad. Then M'gann ripped the intel out of Kaldur's head trying to get back at him for killing me, Nightwing then had to tell Connor and La'gaan after M'gann was taken by Deathstroke, and then he told everyone before the Summit." She said truthfully, feeling ashamed and scared for the lines from the magician that were about to follow._

_"So he used me?" She whispered out, with a steel look. Artemis didn't know what to say, what do you tell your best friend who loves the guy that used her for faking her best friends death? There's not exactly a book that's specific in that._

_"Well…" Artemis trailed off, she didn't want to say it like that, it just made him sound really bad, but then again the situation called for it. _

_"Just answer me, yes or no." Zatanna said sharp and coldly, "Did he use me to fake your death?"_

_Artemis sighed in defeat and lowered her head, "Yes." She whispered. _

_Zatanna got up and started walking out, a fire of determination blazing in her eyes, her crystal blue eyes frozen over, cold as ice. _

_"Where are you going?" Artemis called after her, standing up getting ready to follow after the Mistress of Magic._

_"I'm going to hunt down a certain bird," She seethed before disappearing from Artemis' vision and ears._

_The blonde archer sat back down in a second defeat, she hoped that he was prepared for what was coming for him._

* * *

_"Dude, you know Artemis will tell Zatanna everything." Wally said to the dark haired man who was still working on a case that had just appeared in Bludhaven._

_"I know, and?" Nightwing flipped off, nothing to worry about right?_

_"The point is she's going to tell Zatanna about the glamour charm, and then you're going to have a very angry, powerful magician coming to kill you." Wally said, blinking at the apparent nonchalantness his best pal was displaying._

_"And? Zatanna will be fine, she'll get over it, and even then, she doesn't kill." Nightwing said, not noticing the extra presence in the room, or the temperature dropping below zero degrees. _

_Wally just sat in a scared silence, too scared to alert Nightwing of the arrival of Zatanna, who looked like she was working on developing Kryptonian powers to kill him with, said powers such as heat vision and super strength. _

_"Hey Walls?" He said, not noticing any change, still working furiously on his case. But once again he was met with total silence, Wally swore it was so silent you could hear the Earth magnetic fields working._

_Turning around, he found his gaze meeting the ice-cold glare Zatanna was giving him. He smiled at her warmly, only to be greeted by a swift slap to his right cheek, nearly knocking him down from the sheer force._

_"Zee!" he exclaimed cupping his cheek, "What the hell was that for?" _

_But she didn't reply, only looking at him through tear filled eyes that told the story of loss, pain, grief, anger and hurt. Emotions that he had not expected to be met with by Zatanna, she was always so happy and compassionate, always caring for others around her._

_Still looking at him with a twisted expression she delivered another power-filled slap at his right cheek, with all the strength she could muster, and in that minute she could only feel hate for him. _

_"Zatanna stop!" He shouted, not willing to have to fight her._

_"Stop what?" She shouted back with a thick voice, "Hurting you? I'm sorry you've never been on the receiving end of pain before." She said delivering a ferocious backhand to his left cheek, leaving a distinct mark where her hand had found target._

_"Zee, stop. What the hell is this about?" He asked, gingerly touching his cheek, which he couldn't feel. _

_"What the hell is this about? You used me!" She screamed, letting the emotions pile up and being released at her poor target, him._

_"You used me to make that stupid Glamour charm, you used me to fake my best friends death! How could you, is that all I'm good for? Some object you can pull out and use, and put away again, with no regard for my feelings at all?" She ranted, her arms waving all over the place as if she was pointing to something._

_"Zee, I'm sorry, but it helped stop the Light and the Reach." He said desperately trying to get her to understand the situation._

_"I don't care about the stupid Light," She throttled back at him, her voice getting weaker and weaker, "I spent months grieving Artemis' death, I spent months crying myself to sleep because she was 'dead', I was forced to take a leave of absence for a month because they thought I wasn't fit enough to work, I visited her grave everyday, thinking that she was dead and inside that coffin buried six feet underneath the ground, always putting fresh flowers and talking to the bloody tombstone! I debated whether I should stop being a hero and helping people, I was nearly diagnosed with depression. I couldn't care less about the Light, but all the pain I held in and released for the past three months was caused by _you_." She finished softly, feeling lost and betrayed in the same moment. _

_Wally just sat there awkwardly looking at the mess his friend made without meaning to, even though he felt anger towards Nightwing for the whole undercover mission, he had put that beside and enjoyed being with his friends peacefully again, but obviously someone couldn't let it go, and he got why in that moment. Underneath all the meaningless flirting, constant contact, the conversations now and then, she still loved him, and it pained her everyday because she thought he didn't love her back._

_Nightwing was startled at the confession Zatanna had just given at him, he had no idea his plan would cause so much pain to a person, and it hadn't been his idea to hurt anyone, especially Zatanna._

_"Zee, I'm so so-" He said quietly, before being cut off, _

_"Don't say you're sorry." She said looking at him in one last act of kindness towards him, "you're not. Not really at least, it helped save the world," she said, the tears now staining her porcelain skin, walking towards him and cupping her hand on his check, rubbing her thumb over the patch that was red from her slap. _

_"Was it really worth it Dick?" She whispered, "Was it worth putting everyone through the pain we all felt? It may have saved the world but it destroyed countless people, including me."_

_"Zee I-"_

_"Don't, just don't." She said before leaning to kiss both his cheeks and backing away._

_"Good bye Dick." Zatanna said as she set her co-ordinates into the zeta tube, but before the light could fully take her away, she said one last time._

_"I love you." _

_And like that, she was gone. Nothing but a memory for him to hold onto._

That's Part I done! Watch out for Part II. Should be here in around a week, or less if I feel up to it! :)

The Missing X


	2. Chapter 2

A week had passed since the incident at the cave.

Zatanna hadn't contacted anyone, not even Artemis who was starting to get worried about her absence.

She had tried checking on her once, but that ended in disaster. Zatanna wouldn't talk, just stare out the window blankly and sigh every few minutes.

But Dick wasn't fairing any better, everyone noticed his mood change since the confrontation, he was more reserved, quiet and more reckless on missions or patrol.

Bruce was starting to worry about his ward's health and emotional wellbeing. It wasn't like him at all to take something like that to heart if it wasn't big. So he knew that she meant something to him, after asking around and getting no answer to what had happened and why Nightwing was in such a state he sifted through the security footage in the cave and came across the fight.

It did explain why he came home that night, and with a hand mark on his face. The slap looked like it hurt, it _sounded _like it hurt, and he had no idea that Zatanna could hit so hard.

So the week passed with no contact from the magician, she had called time off for the League and her work, spending her days at home blankly staring out the window, as if she was waiting for something to take her away.

Dick went to work as usual, he followed his normal routine but there were differences, his fighting had become less aero and more physical and planted on the floor, none of his usual flips or tricks, but cool hard moves that aimed to maim seriously.

Finally Wally, Artemis and the senior Team had enough and forced him to sit down to talk to him about his behavior.

With Nightwing in full costume sitting impatiently on the table they had put him in, surrounded by his peers who were standing and looking down at him, he just looked away and kept tapping his foot. The awkward silence wavered on for ages, until Conner snapped,

"What is wrong with you?" He growled out, blunt and sharp.

Dick took a sharp intake of breath and replied easily, "What do you mean?"

"You know what we mean." Artemis snapped, "The hell won't you man up and go talk to her."

There was a frozen second where she thought he was going to attack her like she was the Joker, or the Penguin. But the second was gone and he relaxed visibly, calming her nerves. Didn't mean she was going to have an easy sleep though.

"Talk to who?" He gritted out between his teeth, his jaw clenched tightly and his eyes narrowed dangerously into the famous bat-glare. He wasn't avoiding the subject- he wasn't. He just… didn't want to talk about it right now.

"Don't avoid the subject, Dick." M'gann intervened, her arms crossed over her chest, "Go and talk to her, and just apologise." She scolded in her motherly tone, he didn't know why but it kind of got to him- not in a god way, but in a- that's really annoying please stop talking way.

"Have you even talked to her?" He shot back to her, pleased with himself when she couldn't answer properly.

"Dick." Wally said, commanding attention, "go talk to her."

* * *

And that's how Dick Grayson, last of the Flying Graysons, adopted son of Bruce Wayne, the first Robin, current Nightwing and former leader of the Team found himself knocking on the door of Zatanna's apartment. With nothing but himself in his extremely boring get up of jeans, sneakers, a t-shirt and a hoodie.

His mind was ticking quickly and he was sure he was thinking as fast as Wally, but he couldn't shake the nerves that plagued him.

What if she hated him? What if she didn't want to see him? What if she had ran away? What if she couldn't stand to look at him?

All the what if's plagued his mind as he could hear the light footsteps nearing the door, his heart beat faster, his breathing became desperate and his mind was moving to quickly to think straight.

Then, the door opened, revealing a bleary eyed, crestfallen, heartbroken Zatanna. Who was surprised to see him here, she thought he wouldn't come, his mission was too important.

Now it was her turn to think, as they just stood looking at each other blankly, could she let him in? Would she let him in? Not only into her apartment- but back into her life? She was going fine on her own, really- she was.

"Richard." She acknowledged, frowning when he visibly winced, maybe it had come out harsher than intended, but she was fully in her right to be mad at him.

"Hi, Zatanna." He sighed, "Can I come in?"

"Why?" Zatanna asked, noticing the use of her proper name, not his usual Zee.

"I just want to talk, please. I messed up, okay? I get it, but I want to make things right." He pleaded, hoping she would give him a chance. Just one chance.

"Fine." She decided, moving out of the way and watching him carefully enter her home.

They silently walked over to the couch, not one of them trying to make conversation or talk. Dick sat on one end of the couch, and looked around- her apartment had a, almost, mystical vibe to it, dream catchers hung on the wall, a crystal orb in the middle of the coffee table, spell books scattered around the place and a distinct smell of roses, cinnamon and chocolate.

Zatanna slowly sat down on the opposite of the three-seat couch and looked at him intently, he looked tired. That was seriously wrong, Dick was never tired- yes he was tired in the literal sense, but he never showed it because if he did the Team would get the wrong impression of their leader.

"Zee," there it was- "I'm so, so, incredibly sorry for what I did. I never meant to hurt you or anyone, I thought I was going the right thing by excluding more people- I know you don't think it was right, but I had to. We would have gone down if it hadn't gone the way it had and we would have lost maybe half of the Team if we ever confronted Kaldur and Artemis working for them."

She knew it was true, over the week she had a lot of time to mull things over and sort it out properly in her head. She knew he was right, but it didn't make it hurt any less, or feel any less painful.

"I know." She whispered, looking up at him in full seriousness, "You did what you had to do, I can understand why you needed the Team to be in the dark about the plan, I do, but you could have included me. I'm just one more person, Dick. It wouldn't have made a difference anyway, I'm part of the League and they were your mission. You should have told me, that's what hurts the most- you used me to get that glamour charm and totally disregarded my feelings." She said, holding a strong front to what felt like a collapsing building behind the walls she had built up.

"I'm sorry Zatanna." He whispered, his blue eyes meeting hers, the dark and light fighting for a place in the world. "I should have told you, I know, I shouldn't have kept it a secret, I know, and I didn't send out to hurt anyone. Especially you. I'm not asking for forgiveness, I don't deserve to be forgiven- I just need to you to know I'm sorry. I am so, so sorry for what I put you through."

He knew what ever was going on between them was probably long gone, especially after what he did- but it didn't stop him from hoping. Dick was still fighting her a place in her heart, he had always been fighting his whole life, and this was no different. But it was- everything was different about this fight, it was more desperate, more essential- a necessity he felt like he had to have.

Zatanna knew that what ever he would say she would forgive, she couldn't help it- her father had raised her up to be compassionate and forgiving, it was basically the only thing she had left of him. But she didn't know if she could let him back in so easily, the confusion, pain and heartbreak she had ultimately suffered in her lifetime was primarily caused by him, whether he knew or not. She had all the choices in the world to make about this, but if she let her head get to her heart first, she may not make the right one.

"I forgive you, Dick." She said slowly, as he gave her an unbelieving look from across the couch- did he really think she wouldn't forgive him? "But this doesn't mean we can go back to the way things were before." Zatanna said firmly.

Heart or head…

"Zee." He said, lost for words. She shouldn't be able to forgive him, she shouldn't have to. He knew what he did was bad, he wouldn't forgive himself- and he won't. But the fact that she had forgiven him so easily was so mind boggling that he couldn't comprehend why she would. Yes, he knew she was an extremely compassionate person, but this?

"Why?" Dick said, finally coming to form a word.

"Why what?" She blanded, blinking a few times in confusion, did he seriously ask why?

"Why did you forgive me? I don't deserve to be forgiven, not after what I put everyone through. So why is it so easy for you to forgive me?"

"Because some people are just worth forgiving." She answered with a slight smile, the first genuine smile that has graced her face in the week.

"Why me?" He slumped; it shouldn't be bugging him this much, yet it did. Maybe his inner demons were just running wild.

"Because why not."

As he was about to answer and press onto the matter that plagued him, he received an alert from his Team phone. Cursing under his breath and checking the alert he sighed and got up.

"Sorry, Zee," Dick apologized, "The Team needs me, I've got to go. Thanks for listening and forgiving me, even though you shouldn't have," he mumbled under his breath, but it was loud enough for her to hear- she frowned at him for that comment, to which he sent her a charming smirk. "We'll talk later ok?"

"Ok." She said, escorting him out of the apartment. Her mind whirring at different ways it could have gone. She should have told him- _No, Zatanna. He hasn't earnt it yet, maybe later- but not now._

"Thanks, Zee. Really, you have no idea what this means to me." He said as he started leaving the door. Zatanna made an impulse decision and called out to him, "Wait!" Halting him in his tracks. Dick turned around slowly, confusion mapped out on his features and looked at her as if to say 'what?'

She looked up to him, making sure she had his utmost attention. "You wanted to know why I forgave you so easily." Zatanna said slowly, "I said it was because you were worth forgiving and you asked me why."

Dick was still so confused, he could solve algebra in a second, knew how to escape from different handcuffs with a twig, recite Batman's book of criminals backwards and lead a team of teenage heroes into battle, but this was just beyond his ability. Why would she say this again, was it some sort of riddle, a case to be solved and put to an end?

But all these thoughts in his head were shut down when he felt her soft lips on his, taking a moment to comprehend what was happening, he relaxed into it. Letting the moment envelope him, he could smell her, she smelt like lavender, chocolate and vanilla, the feeling of her body pressed against his, the sparks he felt when she weaved her hands into his hair, tugging on the strands, as if she needed him as much as he needed her. And suddenly it felt like home- like they had been drifting in the ocean for as long as they had been apart and had returned to land.

With one last breath she broke the kiss, leaning into his hand that was placed on her cheek.

Looking up to him through thick lashes she smiled and spoke, "That is why I forgave you, Dick." She said softly, biting her bottom lip when he looked at her, eyes filled with emotion that she could only have dreamed about. "Because Richard John Grayson, I love you. And I will keep loving you forever, even after my last breath on earth."

He chuckled, and felt his heart soar, "I thought I was supposed to be the cheesy one here." He said jokingly. "I love you too, Zatanna Zatara. And I promise to love you forever. Uoy evol i."

Her eyes widened, he just spoke backwards. Suddenly she was reminded of all the reasons she loved this man.

Heart not head…

"You are the cheesy one." She chuckled through tears.

"What can I say?" He said, flashing a million-dollar smile, literally.

"You've got to go." She reminded grimly, taking a step back and grasping his hands in her own.

He nodded silently, bring her hand up to his mouth, giving it a tender kiss.

"I really do love you, Zee." He reminded her, "I'll come back later, maybe we could do a movie and dinner?"

"That sounds great." She replied, stepping back into the territory of her apartment.

"I'll see you then." He said, turning and walking away- and she couldn't help but notice the extra spring in his step.

_I guess you can't wipe a history after all…_

* * *

A/N: I am SO sorry! This totally slipped my mind and I feel awful! I am so, so, so SORRY again!

But I really hope you liked the last part of the story. :)

-The Missing X


End file.
